Vet advice , Latest & Featured - Canadian Cattlemen

Vet Advice: Update on Guidance 213 for antimicrobials

By Dr. Ron Clarke September 11, 2014

In January 2014 the Western Canadian Association of Bovine Practitioners (WCABP) published an article in Vet Advice about pending change in the use of antimicrobials in livestock production. Although Guidance #213 is a U.S. initiative introduced through the Food and Drug Administration (FDA), its intent is to limit use of antimicrobials in livestock production. Canada […] Read more

Vet advice

Microbes have emerged as the real predators

It's in the stars... antimicrobial resistance tops list of concerns for this century

By Dr. Ron Clarke August 19, 2014

Friday, June 13 and a full moon. An astrological phenomenon made for witches and those rummaging for bad omens; an event not to be repeated until 2049 — a cycle of 35 years. It’s an interesting span of time that stirs the imagination of those, like myself, who spend most days wondering about the future. […] Read more

Beef Cattle, Livestock, Vet advice

Long winters: a tipping point in calf health

By Dr. Ron Clarke July 23, 2014

This year’s winter will go into the record books as one of the longest and coldest. The Accumulated Winter Season Severity Index based on daily temperatures, snowfall, and snow depths show the season’s severity exceeded cumulative totals for the last 50 years in many areas of Western Canada. The harsh winter took its toll on […] Read more

Vet advice

Trichomoniasis is still a threat

Cases on the rise, but control programs, testing and good management practices help limit disease spread

By Dr. Ron Clarke June 11, 2014

Trichomoniasis, abbreviated “trich” and pronounced “trick,” is a highly contagious venereal disease that can result in large numbers of open cows. While it is certainly not a new disease threat, the prevalence has increased dramatically in recent years across the northern tier of the U.S. and gradually edged its way onto ranches in Canada. Venereal […] Read more

Beef Cattle, Livestock, Vet advice

Disease prevention equals crisis prevention

By Purdue University, W. Mark Hilton May 8, 2014

PED in the pork industry should be a recent and staunch reminder to all livestock sectors that preventing animal diseases is the cornerstone to crisis prevention. Where and how porcine epidemic diarrhea virus emerged as a killer of nearly four million young pigs in the U.S. remains a mystery. We know it’s highly contagious and […] Read more

Livestock, Vet advice

Still a long way to go

By Dr. Ron Clarke March 21, 2014

A number of recent agriculture publications has questioned whether or not we are approaching the biological limit of individual animal production. The big question: How might this influence long-term sustainability of the cattle business? To think our industry might be approaching biological limits to how fast a feedlot steer grows, how efficiently it converts feed […] Read more

Rubber boots, a bottle of bleach, and a cleaning brush.

Livestock, Vet advice

On-farm biosecurity: Keep it practical

A veteran vet’s advice for cow-calf producers

March 18, 2014

Verified Beef Production (VBP) – It’s not hard for on-farm biosecurity to get complicated. But when you’ve been around the industry like Dr. Tom Pittman of the University of Calgary, you get a clear idea of what works. Having complicated biosecurity protocols without practising basics just does not make sense, he says. The target should be […] Read more

Vet advice

Vitamin E/selenium requirements an open book

Vet Advice

February 19, 2014

Although frank mineral deficiencies and toxicities have been described in detail, little quantitative information is available to describe mineral requirements of beef cattle for a given physiologic state or level of production. Most economic losses associated with mineral nutrition stem from less obvious circumstances like subclinical deficiencies. According to Dr. K. Olson at the department […] Read more

Vet advice

Seeking Credibility

By Dr. Ron Clarke February 13, 2014

Two recent events jumped agriculture’s role in the antimicrobial resistance merry-go-round into high gear. First was the Food and Drug Administration’s (FDA) Final Guidance 213 (December 2013) that established a three-year time frame to end the use of medically important antibiotics as growth promotants. There were also new rules on veterinary oversight related to antibiotic […] Read more

Vet advice

Animals front and centre on emerging human diseases

By Dr. Ron Clarke February 6, 2014

In less than two decades, perspectives on the relationship of disease emergence in humans and domestic animals has changed dramatically. Toward the end of the 20th century, the underlying causes of emerging infectious disease were primarily attributed to aberrations in human behaviour. Methods of control and prevention were all too often centred on changing human […] Read more

Interest in biological crop inputs continues to grow

U.S. grains: Corn, soybeans extend losses as Midwest weather looks crop-friendly

U.S. livestock: Feeder cattle hit fresh peaks on shrinking supplies, strong cash prices

Daily Network News

Interest in biological crop inputs continues to grow

U.S. grains: Corn, soybeans extend losses as Midwest weather looks crop-friendly

U.S. livestock: Feeder cattle hit fresh peaks on shrinking supplies, strong cash prices

Vet advice

Vet Advice: Update on Guidance 213 for antimicrobials

Microbes have emerged as the real predators

Long winters: a tipping point in calf health

Trichomoniasis is still a threat

Disease prevention equals crisis prevention

Still a long way to go

On-farm biosecurity: Keep it practical

Vitamin E/selenium requirements an open book

Seeking Credibility

Animals front and centre on emerging human diseases

Canadian Cattlemen Presents: Depth of Field

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